Ted Danson: "Oceana"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-06-09/ted-danson-oceana
Kate Danson
Oceans cover more than two-thirds of the world’s surface. They were once thought to be an unlimited resource, too vast to be damaged by humans. But that view is changing. By some accounts, 90 percent of the big fish that existed half-a-century ago are gone. Billions of pounds of fish are wasted as unwanted “bycatch.” And hundreds of thousands of seabirds and marine life have been killed by oil spills and toxins. As a result, ocean activism is growing -- for more public awareness, sound conservation policies, and enforcement of existing laws. Actor Ted Danson talks with Diane about his 25 years as an ocean activist.
Guests
Ted Danson
actor and activist
Read an Excerpt
Excerpted from "Oceana," by Ted Danson. Copyright 2011 by Ted Danson. Excerpted by kind permission from Rodale.
Comments
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Ted: Good for you! I never realized what an accomplished actor you were until I watched you portray the awkward role of Dr. Lemuel Gulliver. That screenplay showcased many of your strengths. Now I realize you once may have been the most talented catalog model in history. Talk about overqualified! It only goes to show that all handsome men are not dumb, and that there are probably many deserving people who could contribute to society in important ways if they only lucked into opportunity.
All of us are water, and all life on Earth is connected to living waters. Thanks for living a life worth its salt and cognizant of its liquidity. Water is our greatest commons. I believe you will leave the oceans somewhat cleaner than you found them. I support your cause.
Mia (my spouse) and I rewatched "Cousins" last night in which you played opposite another actor of conscience, Isabella Rossellini.
You were exceptional in that role as a dance instructor who was restoring a sailboat and leaving one relationship for another.
Don't quit your day job in show business Ted. You were meant to be an entertainer. We'll let you cheat and be an environmental activist on the side.
Unfortunately I tuned in to the middle of a discussion about new laws regarding labeling the type of fish accurately, and perhaps I missed a component of the discussion. In principle laws requiring accuracy in labeling sounds fine, but don't we already have laws covering truth in advertising, food packaging, lying, etc? Would it be possible to enforce existing laws effectively rather than creating yet more new ones?
Nobody should feel ashamed to ask. But most likely if it doesn't tell you on the menu or label that it is wild or msc cerified then it isnt.
US Foodservice is now DNA testing the fish they sell.
http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/Something-Fishy-Going-On-in-...
Lee reported much of that imported fish arrives already processed, filleted and frozen. So companies like U.S. Foodservice, one of the largest seafood buyers in the country, has their fish DNA tested before they sell it.
Great Cause,
Chip Miller
Ted,
In your book, which I look forward to reading, do you discuss the issue of population control and how it relates to our depletion of the fish in our oceans? Lester Brown focuses on this issue and he mentioned it again the other day during a discussion on world food security.
I'm a retired diplomat and in my volunteer work I am focused on ending our dependence on fossil fuels (thanks for mentioning the mercury in our systems which comes from coal fired power plants).
As we can see in their very expensive ad campaigns, the oil and gas companies are doing their best to convince Americans that we can't keep the lights on without burning fossil fuels to spin electricity generating turbines and power internal combustion engines. I know that we do have the technology -- wind, solar, geothermal, tidal combined with energy efficiency.
Keep up the good work and thank you.
Patricia McArdle
Arlington, Virginia
WHY are we avoiding the 800 pound gorilla in the room. SO many serious environmental issues can be improved if not solved by people eating a VEGAN diet!!
It is NOT true that people MUST get their protein from the ocean, they CHOOSE to do that. Aquaculture can be used to grow HI protein supplements that FAR outweigh fish in nutritive value.
It is unacceptable that we continue to rape our environment in deference to our taste buds!!
There are clearly many issues involved with this issue. But I believe all of those issues ultimately lead to one common denominator. It seems to me that the elephant in the room is human overpopulation. We don't seem to have any sense of responsibility or measure when it comes to population. Just like cancer cells, we seem intent on growing until we destroy the system that sustains us.
Rick
Fort Laderdale, FL
WLRN Memeber
Ted, I coordinate a regional training and networking program for marine protected area managers, CaMPAM and we provide technical assistance to fishers to helo them transit to other livelihoods due to fisheries deterioation. I need a champion, a good communicator to help to rech out to the region. Can you help us?
I first want to say thank you to Mr. Danson for talking about this today. My invertebrate professors often spoke about ocean acidification and the trouble we will encounter from even the smallest pH change and very few people are even aware of the problem. Next, I would like to ask if Mr. Danson has anything to say about recreational fishing. I have long been an active recreational angler and I have always known everyone involved in the sport to be very conservation minded and apt to follow management plans to maintain healthy stocks. Has recreational fishing ever been shown to be a major contributor to overfishing problems? Thanks!
Hi I am Michael in Indianapolis.
Ted,
Thank you for sharing this information. I knew that wild salmon was better for you than farm raised salmon. I didn't realize what it took to raise farm salmon. Do you think there will be a healthy economic and environmentally friendly way to raise salmon?
Thank for using your celebrity status for good! Keep up the good work on stage, screen and making the world a better place!
Ted,
I appreciate your passion and commitment to improving the health of our oceans. I just wanted to comment that I worked as a environmental consultant for many years in Alaska and saw first hand the unethical practices of oil companies and their respective contractors. I no longer work in Alaska because I was unwilling to play along with this game. This practice is slowly breaking down the resistance of the indigenous people living on the coasts to drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf of Alaska. I agree that science should dictate what decisions are made but, unfortunately, the scientific consultants that are acquiring the permits for these oil companies are also collecting the baseline data for NEPA reports - conflict of interest at it's best. Bottom line is that if the federal government is pushing to drill, as is currently the case, the drilling will proceed and the oil companies will do whatever it takes to minimize the appearance of any possible detrimental impact to the environment.
Bill
What a great show! And thank you Ted Danson for all you're doing for this cause. It's heartbreaking, but reassuring to hear it said it is fixable. Thank you both!
Mr. Danson: THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Someone FINALLY shouted out what so many environmentalists know, that drilling here will not change our oil dependence.
The ONLY thing that will change this is getting away from oil, period. Please keep shouting this from wherever you can. Best of luck to you.
We humans who can (not all can - like the Eskimos) should choose to live low on the food chain as I have.
At 70, I am alive and well today when I was once "terminal" with cancer 20 years ago. On my "own cold steel table" -- forced by the threat of my own death -- I finally made that wise choice (only then respecting my own education / labor in human [and animal] Pathology). That choice restored my own health! So NO fish or any high-on-the-food-chain flesh has been part of my subsistence for 20 years and my health and intellect is now joyous and fully restored.
I have come to fully realize that Fish are Gods wonderful gift to man in His intricate web of Life as they, left to live, maintain balance and purify that Substance required by All Life, especially our own! -- Water! -- all Earth's Waters! -- beginning with the grand reservoir of Waters, our Oceans!
I have sadly come to realize that the only true Idiot in the millions of species God dropped upon this Watery Globe is Man!
Driven by displaced appetite, narcissistic intellect and greed he is the only creature that literally engineers his own extinction by ignorant malfeasance. But equally sadly he takes all life down with him!
The answer to human survival, health and happiness in-fact is for us to stop thinking only about ourselves!
I am grateful that my head finally connected with the Truth which my Science had always exposed -- man truly is NOT designed as a carnivore -- and as soon as he realizes that, the better the Earth and all Her life will become -- and wiser man upon Her!
Thomas L Rodgers
http://VeganCowboyScientist.org
Having survived, I am working on preventing the further poisoning of 34 million humble folks in America today in http://PoisoningThePoor.us -- I testified before Congressional Committee in New Orleans and in DC for the Gulf Coast / Katrina victims. I recommend being Vegetarian, or Vegan like myself, helps reverse the damage this poisoning caused or uncorrected still causes.
Just a side note about the jellyfish:
There are increased numbers of jellyfish due to the ocean acidification. They are able to thrive in high CO2 levels. Also, the number of predators has diminished, as he mentioned.
During the show Mr Danson propagated an often used delusion. He stated that we need to get away from using oil and move to clean renewable energy sources such as windpower. The problem with his statement is that oil is used to create gasoline for automobiles, not for power generation. No one uses oil to generate electricity and windmills do not power cars. There may be a limited supply of oil in the future but there is no shortage of electricity. Environmentalists often use this ploy to confuse people into thinking oil and power generation are linked, but they are not. His statement, is a completely false and misleading.
Jacques Cousteau said "One day we will feed the world by farming the seas as we farm the land". How many wild cows, wild pigs, or wild chickens did you eat last week? They were all farm raised. This is not a new concept.
International fishing quotas are broken. The laws of man cannot counter the laws of economics for long. I believe safe sustainable aquaculture can lead to the production of affordable seafood. That should take pressure off the wild stocks.
US farmers are partnering with seafood companies to develop feed formulas that lessen the demand for small fish to be causght and used for fish feed. It helps the farmers and we get to eat fish without destroying the wild stocks. The salmon and cobia producers use about 1.4 lbs of fish that we wouldn't eat, to feed a fish that we will eat. For cattle, that ratio is about 1 to 6.
I have eaten farm raised salmon and cobia and I think both taste great.
Sounded like Teddy's awful busy personally gobbling up half the oceans' population.